Sweet Little Lies Read Online Free PDF

that allay your suspicions?”
    “Ha, ha, ha, sir.You know what I mean. Dinner is different from breakfast.”
    “Besides the time of day you eat, in what way exactly? Kindly elaborate.”
    Now I was getting exasperated. I hated having to explain myself. I stewed silently for a few moments.
    He waited silently with one brow raised.
    “Don’t play stupid. Breakfast is oh-we-just-got-off-the-plane-let’s-catch-a-meal. Dinner, especially on a Friday night, is pumps and lip gloss with all appearances of being a date.”
    “Ms. Brinsley, dinner is what you make of it.”
    “What are you trying to make of it?”
    “You brought up the pumps and lip gloss…not me.”
    He had a point. I was more than a little gun-shy, but I enjoyed his company and it would be nice to have a no-strings conversational partner who was easy on the eyes across a dinner table.Truthfully, I wouldn’t mind the ego stroke of his admiring glances and smiling attention. Okay, dammit, I wanted to bask in the twinkle just a little while longer. As long as I kept it casual, it shouldn’t be a problem.“So, Steven, what did you have in mind?”
    “What kind of man would ask you out on a date when you’ve just broken up with your fiancé?”
    “Third fiancé.”
    “Third? Good Lord, woman!” He looked at me like I was a science project to be dissected.
    I sighed.“Long story, but you can understand my need for the man break.”
    “Completely. But c’mon now…I’m not
that
guy.You’re in Manhattan, I’m in Manhattan—let’s catch a meal. Period.”
    “Um-hmm,” I answered skeptically. Steven seemed like a nice enough guy, but I really wasn’t trying to start anything. I wasn’t trying to do anything but get through this day and the next and the one after that. My thoughts were all over the place. That damn Jay/David had me questioning things that just weren’t that complicated. One minute I wanted the twinkle, the next minute I didn’t want to be bothered. I was a mess. A hot mess, to be exact. With a deep sigh, I leaned back. “Sorry, I’m just so tired.” Physically and emotionally, I was running on fumes.
    He nodded slowly.“That’s why I thought dinner.You have time to go to your meeting, get settled into your hotel, get a nap, and meet me later. But it’s no big deal, Christina. I’m a big boy. If this makes you uncomfortable or stresses you out, we can do it another time. Or we can shake hands, say ‘nice to know you,’ and walk away.”
    And with those words, I felt good again. I threw my hands up.“What the hell, right? It’s dinner in Manhattan. I’m in. No harm, no foul?”
    “No victim, no crime.”
    I laughed. “No body, no autopsy? What word game is this?”
    He shrugged. “No woman, no cry? I don’t know. I was going with the flow.”
    He was good at that. “Okay. Eight-thirty. Meet me in the lobby of the Doubletree?”
    His smiled widened. “You’re a puzzle, Christina Brinsley. And yes, I’ll see you this evening.”
    The taxi pulled up outside the building on Lexington Avenue and I climbed out with my luggage, laptop case, and purse. I reached in my purse to dig out money for my part of the fare, and he waved me off.
    “We’re good. Knock ’em dead in there.”
    “Thanks.” I took a few steps forward and looked back.“Se-riously, Steven—thanks.”
    “Seriously, you’re welcome, and hey—don’t let Lisa get under your skin.”
    “How did you—” I smiled. Steven was observant and smart.“Gotcha. See ya later.”
    “Looking forward to it.”
    I was too, though I would never admit it to him or myself.

5
You Two Will Play Nice, Won’t You?
    Christina—Friday, August 14, 10:14 a.m.
    S tepping off the elevator on the forty-third floor, a thought suddenly occurred to me: From the time Steven and I agreed to watch the movie to right this very minute, I had only thought of Jay /David once. The Jay/David fiasco had not been far from my thoughts for the last week. I kept going over and over